In response to a recently published University of Maryland study, eWEEK interviewed Norman Matloff of the University of California, Davis, to get his perspective on the findings. The Maryland findings claim H-1B visa holders typically earn more in wages in the U.S. when you control for education level and several other factors.

A University of California professor refutes claims made in a recent University of Maryland study that H-1B visa holders make more money than U.S. technology workers. Professor Norman Matloff dissects the wage numbers used, finds what he claims are critical omissions and discusses his own studies and others which found the majority of H-1B visa holders earn 15 to 20 percent less than U.S. workers.

eWEEK interviewed the Maryland study's authors, Assistant Professor Sunil Mithas and Professor Henry Lucas, last week. Why are H-1B visa holders earning more than U.S. workers? According to the Maryland study, "because of their intangible human capital, rigorous screening and selection processes and willingness to work across borders, [foreign visa workers] are likely to earn higher wages than U.S. citizen IT professionals."

Matloff believes after evaluating the Maryland research that there is a substantial conflict in the findings with other academic research. Matloff sat down with eWEEK to discuss the plethora of problems he calls "disturbing" in the Maryland study. The following is the question-and-answer interview with Matloff that occurred on May 26 over e-mail.